London City airport offered to Government as nearby ExCel centre turned into hospital
London City Airport has suspended all commercial and private flights for the next five weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The airport closed to the public last night and it has been offered to the Government ‘to support the national effort’ against Covid-19.
The Docklands airport is just a three-minute drive to the ExCel Centre, the convention centre that hosts World Travel Market every November, which is being turned into a temporary ‘Nightingale’ NHS hospital for 4,000 patients during the coronavirus crisis.
London City said staff will continue to be employed at the airport, which usually handles around five million passengers a year.
In a statement released yesterday, it said: "Following the
government’s latest instructions in response to the coronavirus outbreak, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend all commercial and private flights from the airport.
"This will begin in the evening on Wednesday 25 March and is expected to last until the end of April. We will keep this under review.
"At this point in this fast-moving and unprecedented situation, we think this is the responsible thing to do for the safety and wellbeing of our staff, passengers and everyone associated with the airport.
"While commercial and private flights will temporarily stop, we have offered the use of London’s most central airport to the Government in case it can be used to support the emergency services, military or other government agencies.
"We will work with the authorities to support the national effort to combat the outbreak of this virus and provide care to people in need."
Gatwick has closed some piers in both its North and South terminals due to a drop in demand, and 200 people have been made redundant. Chief executive Stewart Wingate and others in his team have taken a 20% salary cut.
Manchester Airport has closed one of its two terminals and Gatwick has closed some piers due to a drop in demand.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports